Brown University Student Faces Disciplinary Action Over 'DOGE-like' Email Inquiry

Brown University sophomore Alex Shieh is under scrutiny after sending a ‘DOGE-like’ email to non-faculty employees asking about their daily activities, prompting a response from a U.S. Representative.

Alex Shieh, a sophomore at Brown University, has stirred a controversy after sending an email styled after Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to the university’s non-faculty staff, inquiring about their daily roles. This action, driven by Shieh’s concerns over the high tuition fees and the allocation of university resources, has led to a disciplinary hearing, charging him with misrepresentation and violation of IT policy.

Representative Troy Nehls (R-Texas) has intervened, urging Brown University to reconsider any disciplinary measures against Shieh. In his letter, Nehls emphasized the importance of open inquiry and the right to question how a university with a $7.2 billion endowment manages its resources, especially when tuition for the 2025-2026 academic year is set at $71,700, with total costs nearing $96,000 per year.

Shieh’s initiative involved creating a database of 3,805 non-faculty employees and asking them, “What do you do all day?” This move was part of his broader effort to understand the justification behind rising tuition costs. Despite the controversy, a Brown University official denied that the issue was about free speech, focusing instead on the potential misuse of non-public data and targeting of individual employees.

As the debate continues, the incident has highlighted broader discussions about university governance, the use of endowments, and the rights of students to question administrative practices.